Sony is walking away from discs, but Nintendo is going the other way. A senior Nintendo executive has confirmed that the Switch 2 will keep getting physical releases, which is welcome news for collectors and anyone who still likes owning their games.
🎮 What Nintendo Said
Nintendo Has "No Plans to Ditch Physical"
The comments came from Bill van Zyll, Vice President and General Manager of Nintendo Latin America, during an interview with the Brazilian YouTube channel Coelho no Japão. He said that the Switch 2 has been on the market for just over a year with both digital and physical support, and that Nintendo has "no plans to ditch physical." He added that the company knows how much fans like physical games, and described Nintendo's approach as "agnostic" about format.
Why the Timing Matters
The statement landed shortly after Sony confirmed that it will stop manufacturing physical discs for new PlayStation games from early 2028, with later releases going digital only. That decision drew plenty of criticism from fans, and Microsoft has since launched a scheme that lets players convert existing physical games into digital copies at no extra cost. Nintendo's message is a clear contrast: players will keep a choice of how to buy and own their games.
What About Prices?
Nintendo also pushed back on claims that this was a quiet price hike. The company said the cost of physical games is not going up. It also said that digital versions of Nintendo-published, Switch 2-exclusive games sold in the U.S. will have a lower MSRP than their physical counterparts.
The Fine Print: Game-Key Cards
Not every "physical" Switch 2 release is a full cartridge. Some titles ship as Game-Key Cards, which act as a key and require the console to download the game data. Check the product listing for "full game download required" before you buy. Van Zyll also did not rule out change in the future, so this is a statement of current plans rather than a permanent guarantee.
▶ Nintendo Switch 2 Official Trailer
Note: this is Nintendo's official first-look trailer for the Switch 2, shown here as a visual reference for the console.
What This Means for Players
For now, Switch 2 owners can keep buying, lending, trading and reselling cartridges. If you care about collecting or resale value, favor full cartridges over Game-Key Cards, and keep an eye on Nintendo's pricing for digital versus physical, since the gap can differ by game and region.
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▶ Read Previous Post: Ghost of Tsushima Anime Delayed📦 This story is based on publicly reported coverage of Nintendo's October 2026 statements on physical game releases. Plans may change, and this article is not an official Nintendo announcement.